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Nick Barnard
Zador: Celebration Music (Naxos)
The Zádor rehabilitation continues with a valuable and enjoyable seventh disc [NB]
Portraits of a Mind (Albion Records)
Tenor Alessandro Fisher shines in a superb recital of beautiful music old and new [NB]
Korngold: String Quartets No. 1-3 (Naxos)
Remarkable playing that misses the range of Korngold’s elusive moods [NB]
Rota: Orchestral Works & Film Music (Capriccio)
Fine performances demonstrating the range and variety of Rota’s music [NB]
Stojowski: Symphony (Capriccio)
Two very attractive late Romantic works in excellent performances well recorded [NB]
R Strauss: Letzte Lieder (Rondeau Production)
Strauss songs transfigured in breathtakingly beautiful performances [NB]
Vaughan Williams: Symphonies 7 & 9 (Hyperion)
A beautifully rendered conclusion to the Brabbins/Hyperion survey of the Vaughan Williams symphonies [NB]
Sawyers: String Concertos (Nimbus)
The sixth impressive release of consistently impressive music [NB]
Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonatas (BIS)
Very attractive music beautifully played and caught in ideally sympathetic sound [NB]
Schumann: Symphonies (BIS)
A comprehensive survey stunningly played and beautifully recorded [NB]
Glière: String Quartets (DUX)
Attractively confident and assured quartets in dramatic, virtuosic readings [NB]
Yuja Wang (piano) The American Project (Deutsche Grammophon)
Yuja Wang scintillates in an exciting new large-scale American concerto [NB]
Shostakovich: Symphonies 12 & 15 (Chandos)
Well played and well engineered but lacking character [NB]
Schubert: “Death and the Maiden” Symphony (High Definition Tape Transfers)
Enthusiastic but flawed performances by student orchestras [NB]
Bonds: Choral Works (Avie Records)
Music of Protest and Pride fervently performed [NB]
Vaughan Williams: Live Vol. 4 (SOMM Recordings)
More treasures lovingly restored – but without the revelations of the earlier volumes [NB]
Matthew-Walker: A Bad Night in Los Angeles (SOMM Recordings)
Engaging and wide-ranging music played with style and conviction [NB]
Sutermeister: Orchestral Works Vol. 2 (Toccata Classics)
First recordings of impressive song cycles, authoritatively performed [NB]
Chants nostalgiques (B Records)
A well programmed and well performed recital of French song from La Belle Époque [NB]
Schönberg, Berg: Transfigurations (Alpha Classics)
Intelligently programmed and well played key works of the Second Viennese School [NB]
Mahler: Symphony 2 (INAEM)
The premiere recording of a skilful reduced orchestration of practical value in the concert hall but not for home listening [NB]
Howells: Piano Music Vol. 2 (Naxos)
An important survey played with skill, insight and care [NB]
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